


adjoint associativity

by lotts (LottieAnna)



Category: Hockey RPF
Genre: 5+1 Things, Fluff, M/M, mat is a dork that's pretty much it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-16
Updated: 2018-02-16
Packaged: 2019-03-18 23:05:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13691706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LottieAnna/pseuds/lotts
Summary: “Oh my god,” he says, interrupting Mat’s string of complaints about the latest stat that’s apparently all over his Twitter feed, because he can’t just hate stats like a normal person, he has to hate them for very specific reasons. “You’re a nerd.”





	adjoint associativity

**Author's Note:**

> IF YOU FOUND THIS THROUGH GOOGLING, KNOW ANYONE MENTIONED IN THIS STORY PERSONALLY, OR ARE MENTIONED YOURSELF: please, please click away. This is a work of fiction and nothing written in this story is true. Any accurate information used in this story is publicly available information about public figures, the rest is made up, 100%.
> 
> I decided to write this story when my boyfriend said "I want to see _Cursed Child_ so my complaints can be more nuanced" and I said "wow I am literally in love with you." So, here's to long-winded rants about things that don't really matter coming from the people we love! Also, Mat's a fuckin' nerd, I know 51% of responders to a recent Twitter poll said he was a Slytherin, but 51% of responders were WRONG because he's very clearly a Ravenclaw.

**1.**

If Tito’s being honest, he doesn’t really care all that much about basketball.

He likes it fine, follows it closely enough, too, because the Nets play at Barclays, and he’s an athlete, so he knows how to follow most sports. But it’s not, like, his favorite thing; as far as fans go, Tito would say he’s pretty casual.

Mat, on the other hand, is… kind of obsessed.

Tito used to hate talking about basketball with him, because he’d always felt weirdly unprepared, like he was being tested, or something. It’s not Mat’s fault—he doesn’t expect Tito to keep up with him, really, but he still—he talks a lot, whenever the topic comes up. It’s almost like he can’t help himself, and Tito doesn’t think that’s a bad thing, but inevitably, Mat will end up going on for ten minutes about the minutiae of trade details as Tito’s eyes start to glaze over.

It’s during one of those conversations that Tito has a realization.

“Oh my god,” he says, interrupting Mat’s string of complaints about the latest stat that’s apparently all over his Twitter feed, because he can’t just hate stats like a normal person, he has to hate them for very specific reasons. “You’re a nerd.”

“What?” Mat says, sounding caught off-guard.

“You’re such a nerd,” Tito says. “You haven’t stopped talking about math for the last twenty minutes—”

“I was complaining about stats geeks ruining the game,” Mat says, defensive.

“Still,” Tito says. “If you have that many opinions on numbers, you’re a nerd.”

“I don’t have opinions on numbers, I have opinions on sports,” Mat says. “You can’t be a nerd about sports.”

“Clearly you can, because you’re definitely a basketball nerd,” Tito says.

“Fuck off,” Mat says, rolling his eyes, and he goes right back to talking about some article he’d read.

 

(Once Tito notices, it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

Mat has always talked a lot, but back in Juniors, he’d just seemed like the only guy who knew what to say. He doesn’t do the whole nervous-rambling thing, has always seemed more calm and composed and just—more grown-up than the rest of them, really, but now, Mat’s with him in the NHL, and he still doesn’t shut up, ever.

He’s way too good with the media, Tito thinks. He seems to love going on and on in boring, technical terms about hockey, like he’d been commentating the game in his head as he played it, so he has the summary ready to go when he’s prompted, and it’s always well-said, too. He has more energy than Tito expects him to after they win, like he doesn’t just want to bask in the victory, but rather, wants to pick it apart, dissect it, analyze everything they did right in excruciating detail.

It’s the smart thing to do, which makes sense, because Mat is a smart player, but it also has this kind of… excited vibe, Tito thinks. Sort of like a puppy, but a super smart puppy who knows exactly what it’s doing.

Like, Air Bud, maybe?

Whatever. The point is, Mat’s a total nerd, and Tito can see it in everything he does.)

 

**2.**

“I don’t know what my favorite part of this is,” Tito says, watching the boxing gym video for the 8th time that afternoon.

“I fucking hate you,” Mat says, sitting down next to him on the bench.

“No, I‘m serious,” Tito says. “Like, even without the prank, this is gold.”

“What do you mean?”

“You look like you want to… I don’t know, take notes,” Tito says. “It’s a gym, dude, not a classroom.”

“I mean, I was there, I don’t fight much, I figured I could stand to learn a thing or two,” Mat says. “You never know what comes in handy.”

“Still,” Tito says. “How do you manage to be a nerd about boxing?”

“You can’t call me a nerd every time I’m good at something,” Mat says.

“Actually, I can,” Tito says. “Also, you’re not that good at boxing.”

“Fuck you, I’m great,” Mat says.

“Mmm, I don’t think so,” Tito says.

Mat jumps up, holds up his fists, and smiles. “You wanna go?”

“Sure you wanna fight me?” Tito says, standing up and mirroring Mat’s stance. “I’ll beat your nerd ass up.”

“Then fucking try,” Mat says.

They don’t really fight, just kind of pretend to punch at each other while laughing until Mat ends up putting Tito in a headlock and forces him to admit defeat. Tito insists he let Mat win, but Mat, of course, doesn’t believe him for a second.

 

**3.**

Tito doesn’t give Mat too much shit for stuff, only when he deserves it, and when he doesn’t seem to mind it, because it’s not like Tito wants him stop. He kinda likes Mat when he gets way too enthusiastic and can’t catch himself in time to prevent a full-on monologue. He has this smile that he only does when he’s being a total geek, and it’s a little dorky, but Tito likes it.

Still, he gives him some shit.

When he deserves it.

“You’re rooting for the Eagles?” Mat says, and he looks personally offended.

Tito just smiles, gives a small shrug. “Yeah.”

“Why?” Mat asks. “Since when are you a Philly fan?”

“I don’t know. They’re the underdogs, right?”

“That’s such an oversimplification,” Mat says. “The Patriots are—“

“You’re not gonna convince me to switch teams,” Tito says, unable to keep the laughter out of his voice entirely. “It feels like most people are rooting for the Pats, so I’m rooting for the Eagles.”

“Unbelievable,” Mat says, and he’s hilariously genuine as he shakes his head.

“What? I’m allowed to cheer for whoever,” Tito says.

“Yeah, but what’s the point of watching if you don’t care at all?” Mat says. “Why cheer for a team if you don’t know what you’re cheering for?”

“Because it doesn’t matter,” Tito says simply. “Plus, it’s fun to watch you get mad about it.”

“I’m not _mad,”_ Mat says. “Fuck you. You’re such an asshole.”

“Sorry,” Tito says, grinning unapologetically. It’s not that Mat’s reaction funny, really, but it makes him smile all the same. Or, it’s—a little funny, maybe? Mostly something else, though, something Tito can’t really place.

In any event, he likes it a lot.

 

**4.**

Sometimes, it’s not funny at all.

Sometimes, Mat’s all dedication, all intensity, all single-minded focus. It’s the same thing that bounces in him, sometimes, but occasionally, it’s this piercing, sharp kind of energy.

It’s how he is on the ice, always, but it’s also the way he looks when he’s sitting in his bed watching three games at once, his brow furrowed and his shoulders hunched in a way they really shouldn’t be, because nominally, he’s supposed to be relaxing.

Mat doesn’t relax much, though.

Like, ever.

“Dude, what are you doing?” Tito asks, after a particularly brutal loss.

“Watching stuff,” Mat says.

Tito looks over his shoulder; there are two hockey games playing on his laptop screen, and some commentators talking on his iPad. He’s got two sets of earbuds going, one in each ear, and Tito is stressed just from watching his eyes dart between the screens.

“There’s no way this is healthy,” Tito says.

Mat shrugs. “I’m trying to take my mind off the game.”

“Is it working?”

Mat just shrugs again.

Tito sighs, then yanks the iPad earbud out. “Have you ever tried, like, taking it easy?”

“I’m not in the mood to take it easy,” Mat says, removing his other earbud. “This is fine.”

“You can’t replace stress with more stress,” Tito says.

“It’s productive stress,” Mat says.

“How is this productive?”

“It just—it is, I don’t know,” Mat says. “I’m keeping busy.”

“Maybe you should, like, take a yoga class,” Tito says.

“It’s midnight,” Mat says.

“Then do some deep breathing exercises,” Tito says. “Or just—chill, dude.”

“I’m okay,” Mat snaps, and he’s clearly not, because he only snaps at Tito when he’s in a mood. When Mat’s actually mad, he tends to be more collected.

“Fine, then let me watch with you,” Tito says, not bothering to wait for an invitation before sitting on Mat’s bed.

Mat fixes him with a look. “This isn’t really your business, you know.”

“Don’t care,” Tito says. “Who’s playing?”

Mat turns off the basketball commentary and unplugs the headphones from his laptop. “BU’s got a game, and I’m watching some old Rangers stuff.”

“There are people who give us tape to watch,” Tito says, and Mat closes the window. “Why BU?”

“Dante,” Mat says. “I don’t really have time to follow NCAA, but, he’s my boy, so.”

“Do you actually not follow it, or not follow it by your standards?” Tito says.

“What does that mean?”

“You watch a lot of hockey,” Tito says. “I feel like you know more than most people.”

“I mean, I know what Dante tells me,” Mat says.

Which is probably true, except Mat and Dante must talk a lot, based on the fairly comprehensive running commentary he provides as they watch the game. What’s more likely, actually, is that Mat asks a fuckton of questions about it every time they do talk, because most of the things he has to say are, like, details about guys’ play, with the occasional interjection of “apparently he did a minute-long kegstand the night before their last game” or “he’s the guy who gives everyone econ notes,” which probably come from Dante unprompted.

But it does get Mat calmly focusing on one thing instead of fixating on the loss, and he gets pretty into it, smiling, talking with his hands, pausing to rewatch some plays. It’s pretty much as laid-back as Mat gets, honestly, and Tito doesn’t even call him out for being totally unable to sit back and watch a game without analyzing it.

It’s nice seeing Mat like this, Tito decides.

 

**5.**

Tito isn’t used to this much talking during blowjobs, especially not when he’s the one receiving said blowjob, but he’s never gotten a blowjob from Mat before, so.

“God, that was a great game,” Mat says, then proceeds to deepthroat him, because that’s just the kind of guy he is.

“Definitely,” Tito says, his voice strained. He’s not sure if Mat’s actually turned on by good hockey, or if he just is a really good multitasker, but in any event, Tito’s not really thinking about hockey. Maybe it’s easier when you’re not the one getting your dick sucked.

“How was that?” Mat asks, pulling off.

“Good,” Tito pants out. “More of that.”

“You can pull my hair, if you want,” Mat says, and then his mouth is on Tito’s dick again.

Tito tangles his fingers in Mat’s hair, tugs him a little, just so he can set the pace. “You’re really good at this.”

Mat responds by doing something with his tongue that Tito is very much on board with. He thinks it’s supposed to be some sort of thank you.

“Oh my god—” Tito says, throwing his head back for a second, and when he looks back down, Mat’s staring up at him, his eyes wide, intense, calculating.

He’s definitely not thinking about hockey at all.

Just this.

Just Tito.

It is, quite possibly, the hottest thing Tito’s ever seen.

 

Afterwards, when they’re all cleaned up and both trying to figure out how to react to what just happened, Tito clears his throat.

“That was…” he nods his head. “Really good stuff, right there.”

“Thanks,” Mat says, running a hand through his hair, which is a mess. “I had fun.”

“So did I,” Tito says.

“Great,” Mat says awkwardly. “So we agree that was fun.”

Tito snorts at that, not really meaning to, but it’s kind of a nervous laugh, too. “What are you, a lawyer?”

Mat blushes, which is a rare sight. “Shut up,” he grumbles.

Tito grins, a little easier this time. “Nerd.”

 

**+1.**

Mat’s gotten better, over time, at learning how to relax. Tito likes to think it’s partially his influence.

It’s also that kind of morning, right now; Mat had stayed over last night, and Tito had made him breakfast, which Mat found incredibly charming. He’s all giggly and laid-back, half sunken into Tito’s couch, his legs kicked up, and for once, Tito has a slight surplus of energy while Mat seems content to watch him bounce around the living room as _Never Say Never_ plays in the background.

“Yo,” Tito says, when “Baby” comes on, turning his hat backwards. “I learned the dance to this when I was a kid.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s a jam,” he says. “I bet I still remember it.”

“Oh boy,” Mat says, raising his eyebrows and crossing his arms.

To Tito’s credit, he does remember a good chunk of it, and Mat’s laughing at him as he does it, but not in a mean way. Tito’s a fan of Mat’s laugh. It’s a good laugh.

Objectively.

And also, subjectively.

Tito likes it when Mat laughs, is the point, so. He keeps dancing, even when he knows Mat is pointing a camera at him, because that means Mat’s giggles are also going to be caught on tape. Tito thinks that’s pretty even trade.

“I can’t believe you filmed that,” he says, collapsing on the couch next to Mat.

“I’m posting it,” Mat says. He shakes his head, grinning. “You’re such a fucking hypocrite, man.”

“How am I a hypocrite?”

“You give me shit for being a nerd, and yet.” Mat angles the phone towards Tito.

Honestly, he’s barely even embarrassed by the video. He’s looked worse.

“I never said it’s a bad thing,” Tito says. “At least you’re a hot nerd.”

“You’re the one with hot nerd glasses,” Mat says.

Tito raises an eyebrow. “You think my glasses are hot?”

“I think they make you look smart,” Mat says.

“But are you, like, into that?” Tito asks. “

“I’m into you, and sometimes you wear glasses,” Mat says. “That’s all I can tell you, man.”

“Fair enough,” Tito says.

He watches Mat caption and post the video to his story; as he types, he does this head bop thing and absently mouths along to Justin Bieber circa 2010, who’s still singing on the TV.

It’s a little dorky, but a very Mat Barzal kind of dorky—understatedly silly, but silly nonetheless.

It is, in Tito’s opinion, incredibly cute.

**Author's Note:**

> Anyway here are some sources on Mat ["I could talk ball all day"](https://twitter.com/Barzal_97/status/904733550603206658) Barzal being a nerd: 
> 
> -[What are you major interests outside hockey? Any favorite teams in other sports?](https://www.sny.tv/islanders/news/islanders-summer-check-in-chatting-with-matthew-barzal/196179978)  
>  _MB: "I honestly follow and love most sports. Football, golf, soccer, even baseball a little more this year. I'm actually a huge basketball fan, like crazy, love the NBA. Big LeBron fan. I couldn't get myself to get on the Golden State bandwagon. I like the villians, hated but prove everyone wrong. Steph Curry, he's so darn good, but everything kind of got put into place for them. They have four all-stars on their team in the starting five now. I can't get myself to root for those guys."_
> 
> -[Do you watch his games often?](https://www.nhl.com/news/calder-trophy-favorites-mathew-barzal-brock-boeser-q-and-a/c-295259488)  
>  _Boeser: "No, I honestly never get to see any other NHL games."_  
>  _Barzal: "Yeah, I do. I watch everybody. I keep a pretty close eye on the NHL."_
> 
> -[At 1:54: "Aw, man, that's just such a good game!"](https://www.msgnetworks.com/videos/barzal-talks-rollercoaster-game/)
> 
> -[This is the boxing video where Mat acts like a nerd.](https://www.msgnetworks.com/videos/weidmans-world-throwing-punches-with-islanders/) If you're uncomfortable with prank videos, stop around 3:38. Here was Mat's response to said prank:  
>   
> Dork. 
> 
> -Oh and in case you haven't seen it yet: [Tito dancing to Justin Bieber](https://twitter.com/OV_Pod/status/959155334446305281)
> 
> [Come talk to me on tumblr,](https://lottswrites.tumblr.com/) or follow me on twitter @lottslottslotts


End file.
